Combined life preserver and bathing cap



Oct. 16, 1956 F. JOHNS COMBINED LIFE PRESERVER AND BATHI'NG CAP Filed Jan. 26, 1954 ATTORNEY United States Patent COMBINED LIFE PRESERVER AND BATHING CAP Lamar F. Johns, Pottsville, Pa. Application January 26, 195'4, Serial No. 406,102

2 Claims. (Cl. 9-20) The present invention relates generally to life preservers and specifically to one which is permanently attached to a bathing cap to form a collar on either side of the bathers head, and one which gives the appearance of a scarf or tie when in uninflatted condition.

The present invention is intended to serve the usual purpose of protecting the hair of the bather and also is useful to keep the wearers head out of the water in case of accident or in case the b ather becomes tired, has cramps or the like. It is also intended to be of use in treatment of polio victims and others who are given water therapy treatments in whirlpool baths.

In one embodiment of its form, the present invention is a two-part collar open in front but with fasteners on a chin strap, the sides and b ack of the collar being inflatable. When the wearer swims or dives, the chin portion is unsnapp-ed and the collar then streams rearward of the swimmer without impeding her progress, likewise in diving, the invention presents 'a flowing streamer behind the head, adding to the attraction of the descending figure. In some forms, the shape of the collar may preferably resemble rabbits ear, space helmet, armor, or the like.

It is therefore -a principal object of the invention to provide a bathing cap having integrally attached thereto a device for buoyancy.

Another object is to provide such a buoyancy device that the head of the wearer is held comfortably on either side with the minimum of weight or material under the chin.

A singular other object of the present invention is to provide a neat looking buoyancy device which may be left unfastened behind the head while the wearer is swimming or diving, but may be instantly attached when needed, as in the case of cramps, overexertion, illness, or for the playing of such strenuous games as water polo, water baseball, or the like.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a modification which may be attached to the bathing cap and collar which will extend under the armpits. This slight modificah'on affords the use and protection of the device to children, whose heads are generally smaller and on whom the bathing cap designed for use on an adults head may be such a loose fit that the cap is dislodged and the collar pulled one side or the other or even over the ears and head.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a collar or inflatable device that may be worn without inflating if desired, :and when in uninflatted condition is relatively flat and offers no impedance to a swimmer or diver, but instead enhances the appearance by streaming behind the head in an attractive manner. The two parts of the collar may also be tied into an attractive bow at the back of the head.

These and other object and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from consideration of following description taken in connection with the annexed drawings in which:

Fig. 1 .is a front view of a person showing the invention in place on her head and around her neck.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing the invention inflated and also showing in doted lines the arcuate cut of the flat pieces which make up the two-p art collar, as in tin-inflated condition.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view showing the collar of the invention, with a portion shown in section, and showing in dotted lines the modification of the armpit straps and their points of attachment. Referring in more detail to the drawing in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, a girl, indicated at 10, is shown wearing a bathing cap 11 of rubber, latex, or other flexible and stretchable material which has a forehead portion 12 and a back-of-theneck or rear portion 13. The cap 11 has a formed or moulded margin 14, and at the rear portion 13 on this margin 14 is secured the inner ends 15 of two identically shaped buoyancy elements 16, which are preferably constructed of two pieces of flat rubber, latex, or other similar material impervious to air or water, and are arcuately cut as shown in dotted lines at 17 in Fig. 2.

The buoyancy elements 16 are roughly sausage shaped into a collar when inflated, with tapered ends 19 at the rear and furnished with tabs or straps 21 by means of which they are sewn or vulcanized to the cap margin 14. At their outer ends, the elements 16 are furnished with straps 22 and 23, which have confronting faces on which are secured snap or hook fasteners 24. Adjacent these fasteners 24 are other fasteners 25 which, as seen in dotted lines of Fig. 3 receive mating fasteners on the ends of the armpit straps 27, which are in turn secured at their rear ends to the collar at the same points of attachment as the cap, but having a snap or book fastener 28. These armpit straps 27 may be used to tie the deflated and rolled up cap and collar into a neat bundle away from the beach, or may be left unfastened at 25 by their front ends but fastened at 28 so that they stream out behind the swimmer or diver. The straps are useful also as a means of assisting a child or non-swimmer to swim by holding the head out of water, in addition to the buoyancy effect of the collar. The collar may be left unsecured under the chin, and either inflated or otherwise, may be left also to stream behind the wearers head.

They may also be tied in an attractive knot much the same as ribbons on a bonnet. Air valves 31 are indicated as being at the front of the buoyancy elements 16, but they may be anywhere else convenient, if not where they impede the swimmer or project annoyingly against a shoulder or arm. Preferably they are valves of the short Schraeder type, but may also be of the folded nipple type, or may be an adaptation of the gas-filled cartridge type, which, although not illustrated here, may be sewn into the collar at any conveniently reached spot.

The foregoing description is suflicient to permit a complete understanding of the use and operation of the invention, and although a single embodiment of the invention has been here shown, with one change in the use thereof, many other embodiments are contemplated and many changes may be made in the form of the parts of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A combined life preserver and bath-ing cap comprising a skull cap forming a body portion adapted to fit snugly over the head of the wearer, a pair of elongated buoyancy elements secured by one end of each to said skill cap at the rear and lower margin thereof, a pair of straps secured one each at its end to the other ends of said pair of buoyancy elements, said pair of straps having a plurality of mating fasteners on one side of each and being adapted and arranged to be releasably secured one to the other under the chin of the wearer, together with a second pair of straps each releasably secured at one of its ends to said pair of buoyancy elements at a point on each element adjacent said first straps, and being releasably secured at their other ends to said skull cap at the point of attachment of said pair of buoyancyielements, said first ends being releasable to disengage from said buoyancy element to permit free flow of said elements in the Wake of the wearer upon release of said releasable securing means, said second pair of straps being adapted and arranged to engage the armpits of the wearer.

2. A combined life preserver and bathing cap comprising a skull cap forming a body portion adapted to fit snugly .over the head of the wearer, a pair of elongated buoyancy elements secured by one end of each to said skull cap-at the rear and lower marginthereof, a pair of straps secured each at one of its ends to the front ends of said pair of buoyancy elements, said pair of straps having a plurality of mating fasteners on the front side of one strap and on the rear side of the other strap and being adapted and arranged to be secured one to the other under the chin of the wearer, and releasable to permit free flow of said element in the wake of the wearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,168,945 Redwine Aug. 8, 1939 2,547,333 Lund Apr. 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 71,514 Sweden Mar. 31, 1931 308,687 Italy June 12, 1933 

